The present invention relates to flasher systems of automotive vehicles, and more particularly to improvements in means for automatically activating such flasher systems in the event of an emergency. Still more particularly, the invention relates to improvements in shock-responsive activating means for emergency flasher systems.
German Pat. No. 2,412,807 discloses a shock-responsive activating switch arrangement for emergency flasher systems. The switch arrangement is responsive to abrupt changes in the speed of the automotive vehicle and comprises a high-inertia activating element which constitutes a permanent magnet and is loosely supported by and attracted to an iron plate. The activating element can displace or effects the displacement of a pin-shaped trip which extends through a hole of the iron plate and is displaced in response to tilting of the actuating element to thereby complete the circuit of the emergency flasher system. The housing for the iron plate, activating element and the switch which can complete the circuit of the flasher system is fixedly mounted in the automotive vehicle, and the activating element is tilted in response to an abrupt shock such as develops in the course of an accident, as a result of sudden application of brakes and in analogous situations. The magnitude of the shock which triggers the activation of emergency flasher system is selected in such a way that one can anticipate the inability of the operator to manually activate the flasher system. For example, a dazed or injured operator might be unable to activate the flasher system when the operator is involved in or attempts to avoid an accident. On the other hand, the activation of flasher system under such circumstances is likely to prevent or reduce the possibility of more serious or additional accidents because the activated flasher system warns the drivers of other vehicles that the vehicle whose flasher system is on requires careful attention.
A drawback of the patented activating arrangement is that it is complex and expensive as well as that its mounting in a vehicle necessitates substantial and costly modifications of existing emergency flasher systems.